Terminals are components of various electrical devices such as receptacles, switches, lampholders, lighting controls, and the like. In the case of electrical receptacles, terminals are used to connect the electrical supply power to the plug blades of an electrical plug. Terminals may directly receive the blades of electrical plugs, or they may supply power to blades of a plug through other electrical components. There are a number of different receptacle blade configurations/geometries such as those configurations standardized by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), and the configuration or orientation of the terminals in the receptacle may vary depending on the blade configuration of the particular receptacle. In addition, different types of electrical receptacles, including surface-mounted receptacles and flush-mounted receptacles, can be of different depths. Thus, the general configuration of a terminal for a specific application may vary as to geometry, orientation and/or size of the terminals in the receptacle in dependence upon the geometry, size and/or depth requirements of the receptacle.
It is not uncommon that different types and/or models of receptacles have different or unique terminal component parts to account for the varying sizes and/or blade configurations. In addition, even one receptacle can include a number of unique terminal component parts to account for the different blade configurations within the one receptacle. These unique terminal component parts that vary by size and/or configuration increase manufacturing complexity and costs.
Therefore, it would desirable to have a universal/reconfigurable terminal that can be used in various types of receptacle devices, where the devices may be of different depths and/or require different blade configurations. It would also be desirable to have a universal/reconfigurable terminal capable of multiple configurations so that multiples of one type of terminal can be used in a single receptacle where multiple terminal configurations are required. A universal/reconfigurable terminal would decrease the number of unique parts required for manufacturing receptacle devices, which would reduce manufacturing complexity and costs, including inventory costs, labor costs, molding costs, etc.